MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

Inangahua Times, Volume IV, Issue 54, 13 August 1877, Page 2

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

Two critics were disputing the- other day *o.pon the literary merits of a»certain-well-known, much-road, but slightly ** wishy-washy" poet. "You may say what you like," s-iid* the counsel'- tor thedefence, " but that man has made hs< mark in. the world."' " Very true, that isbecause he can't write." vy> s thoreply. Melbourne Punch frequently harps on> Mr Berry as " the small greengrocer." I* may not be out of place for me to explain that 15 years ago Mr Berry, did keep a little- greengrocery shop at tho corner of Toorak road and Chapel, street, Prahran* a suburb of Melbourne,; [ust when Sir Julius Vogel was a struggling* journalist on the Victorian diggings, "out at elbows," as ono cf his old acquaintances fells mb. Wollj to the individuals who-m-iy ca4 up tln'se rohjinVsc«'*o%6s against i wo piuiiitnit- nKMt. the obvious-, answer is, "Yes, and. -it" you. hud' beon^iiu thegreengrocery shop, "br^e 1 petty newspape-fi .office, you. would ibe there 6.Ull."—Corresponded Guardian. I ami always suspicious of gossip respecting the Royal family, ono of whose duties appears to be the supplying of •• canards*", to society, but tho notion is sogeneral that a " split" has fatten place at Court respecting the Russian question, that _ cannot but believe tbere in " some* thing in itJ' It is not', of course,, surprising thai tho Duchess of Edinburgh should sympathise- with the Turks* whichI am sorry to sayjthey. db *r but it is naid tbat the Duchess' feelings go a little further,, aud lead, her to dislike her adopted, country and al! belonging to it_ This flbwer of prejudice, it is said, hasbeen " a growing and a-blowing," as the street gardeners- say, ever since the famourprecedence question, and the present war has brought it to a head. It is a wellknown fact that no matrimonial allianco between reigning families has ever had any sensible effeci upon the mutual relations of the countries they respectively govern, and it now seems that it-does-not even keep the families,, themselves togetherOne of the few advantages of war is that it teaches- folks geography.. All the knowledge we- acquired- in. tho Crimean campaign respecting tho Black Sea and its neighbourhood is now being furbished upagain, whilo the Balkans have become quite a household word. There is still a doubt, however, about tbe" Dobrudscha," some- conceiving, it to be an horeditary personal title (like Iho O'Connor Don, or the Chisholm), and others a pestilent wind (like the simoom) that blows about the Danuubian provinces. Every family his bought its map of tho scat of, war with little flags upon, it, whioh arc moved to show the advauce of ihe invaders, and tho heroism with which people venture to pronounce the Turkish names would do honour to a cavalry charge. Some* times, however, the very boldest are dis?-

n\ayed.7*On Saturday, for example, it was -.»ta ted „m the Times that a Sotnia of Raiapapiicks had entered* the Russian - 'Service.— Thifi~*no one dared read aloud. nor' has any^pi'r.on in Great Britain 'Idiscovorcd the* meaning of it. If u gjranger had been suddenly dropped down in' tho neighbourhood of the Police Court about three o'clock this morning lie would probably hnve been considerably „ surprised at some strange proceedings in a- court' of justice. When the jury in the case of Cole v M'Ktrdy retired, the majority of tho people in Court were Volunteers in full uniform and apparently elevated to a high pitch of excitement. As soon, as the judgo loft the bench, one exhausted counsel snatched off his wig with one hand, while with the othor he removed the hat from tho head of the astonished policeman, transposed the position, of tlio two headgears, and leaving the astonishod man in blue more taken aback than ho was, even when a buxom landlady threw her arms round his neck ahd kissed him, the lawyer tucked his gown under his arms and departed in search of a charitable publican for something hot. His learned brother, not being able to appropriate anyone's hat, trusted to his wig, and in full costume sailed down the street for the same haven, greatly to be astonishment of another constable whom tbey passed on the way, and who scorned to have serious thoughts about running both iu until his fellow member of the force, duly bowigged, looked out of the court to see where his bat was gone.— Wellington Argus. Says " Atticus," in the Loader :— Some ladies have beon writing to the papers complaining of tho accommodation provided for them at the Melbourne Athenoum. If ladies were forbidden to uso those portions of the building that are thrown open, to gentlemen one could sympathise with them. But the fact is that the two large reading-rooms aro free to all subscribers, and if ladies do not avail themselves of their rights it is their own fault. Ladies will go into church, and sit or kneel down and pray beside strange gentlemen ; they will walk into a picture gallery' and look at the paintings without noticing the bearded creatures about them ; they take their places in the train or 'bus beside us without any shock to their sensibilities ; and a row of 50 men at a counter would not deter them from doing their shopping. What is < there, then, to prevent them from entering the reading room of an institution of which they are members, and reading the news* papers or magazines P I can understand separate bathing-places for the sexes, so Jong as we don't bathe on the French or Amerioan plan, but I can soe no possible reason for separate reading-rooms. Writing of the Dery, the AngloAustralian in the European Mail says.— There Tias been a sad falling off in the Derby in recent years, both in horseflesh and tho character of the visitors. The patrician's drag is distinguished by its absence and the ring once the famed reso'rt of the best men of the Jockey Club, is now tna&e up of shoddy, and men noted fot clipping their h's. But withal, it is the place for pleasure seeking London to go to, and pleasure seeking London goes accordingly. Country cousins and colonists., who happen to boat home in time go too, upon the principle I suppose that everyone who-can should got at least once in their lives. Once on the courso, you have only to give a shrill coocy to have it answered by some chum or the other who has I 'pen in the bush. The experiment was tried on the lost Derby day when in less than ten minutes some dozen Australians wrro got together-— several of them having come home in the Somersetshire." It is to be hoped that Anglo- Australian, or who over gavo the cooey which produced this result, had a more appreciative audience than be who 'did likewise in the pit of a London • theatre, and was answered with " Holloa, Botany Bay, by a score ot voices among the gpds."